Optus appoints Huawei

OPTUS has appointed Huawei and Nokia Siemens as its vendors of choice in its accelerated roll out of its nationwide 3G/ HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) network.

The company said it would use a combination of 900MHz and 2100MHz frequency ranges, and when complete the network will cover 96 per cent of the population – replicating the Optus 2G network. The 900MHz range will be used primarily in rural and regional Australia.

Optus chief executive Paul O’Sullivan said the company had completed its network upgrade in all capital cities to 3G/HSPA. The first phase of the extended upgrade is also complete, with areas in Newcastle and Wollongong already in service.

“Through our national deployment, more Australians will have access to a competitive, high quality, high speed network and will be able to choose from our array of product plans and flexible pricing,” Mr O'Sullivan said.

“Our 3G/HSPA network currently reaches 60 percent of the population, will reach around 80 percent of the population by June 2008 and is set for completion by December 2008 - 18 months ahead of schedule,” he said.


Mr O'Sullivan said Optus had adopted a multi-vendor strategy for mobile network deployments to drive better competitive and technical outcomes.

“As a result, we have awarded Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks to deliver the radio network infrastructure required for this extensive roll out,” he said.

Optus customers using the 3G/HSPA network will have access to improved speeds, of up to 3.6Mbps, on Optus Wireless Broadband modems and enabled mobile phones. They will see significant improvement in time to download and upload videos, music, maps and user generated content on their laptops and phones.

“The 900MHz range for 3G/HSPA is perfectly suited to the Australian landscape. Using this frequency, radio signals have a greater range – giving better quality and wider coverage across sparsely populated rural and remote areas,” Mr O'Sullivan said.

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3Com succumbs, acquired by Bain and Huawei

AFTER months of rumour, the once dominant networking company 3Com has been acquired by the investment bank Bain Capital and its Chinese partner Huawei Technologies.

The definitive acquisition agreement was signed last Friday valued at $2.2 billion (A$2.5 billion)

“As business becomes ever more global, companies need to enhance their technology infrastructure to compete more effectively in the broader economy,” said a Hong Kong based managing director Jonathan Zhu.

“3Com has a strong competitive position, and we believe there are significant opportunities to grow by acquiring customers and introducing new products,” he said.

Mr Zhu said the company had identified worldwide growth opportunity for 3Com's communications networking solutions in conjunction with the company’s strategic partners.

As part of the transaction, affiliates of Huawei Technologies will acquire a minority interest in the company and become a commercial and strategic partner of 3Com.

Analysts say the closer ties between 3Com and Huawei should prove profitable for both companies.

3Com’s China-based Huawei-3Com business unit contributed more than half of the company’s sales last year, and analysts say Huawei can leverage the 3Com relationship outside of China to better compete with its US rival Cisco.

The transaction is expected to be completed by the first quarter of calendar year 2008, subject to receipt of 3Com shareholder approval.

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Huawei inks joint-venture with Symantec

CHINESE networking giant Huawei has signed a groundbreaking joint-venture with US security specialists Symantec to develop and distribute security and storage appliances for corporate customers.

The joint-venture’s storage and security appliance products will also target phone companies and service providers.

“The joint venture will help carriers and enterprises effectively address these challenges by offering security and storage appliances that are easy to implement and maximize value to customers,” the companies said.

The yet-unnamed joint-venture is subject to government approvals, though Huawei and Symantec hope it will be operational by the end of the year.

The joint-venture will be headquartered in the Chinese city of Chengdu. It will be 51 per cent owned by Huawei and 49 per cent by Symantec.

“Network security will definitely form the foundation as telecom networks migrate toward an All IP environment,” Huawei chief executive officer Ren ZhengFei

“The partnership will enable us not only to provide leading network security solutions to carriers, but also to deliver professional security and storage solutions to enterprises, helping our customers build a safer and more efficient network.”

Huawei will contribute its telecommunications storage and security businesses including its integrated supply chain and integrated product development management practices.

Additionally, the new company will have access to Huawei’s intellectual property (IP) licenses, research and development capabilities, manufacturing expertise and engineering talent, which includes more than 750 employees.

The joint venture’s services and support infrastructure will draw upon Huawei's successful model for customer service and technical support, including worldwide technical support and call centre operations.

Symantec will contribute some of its leading enterprise storage and security software licenses, working capital, and its management expertise into the new company. Symantec will also contribute US$150 million toward the joint venture’s growth and expansion.

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